I was 42 when all this started ... summer of 88 ... was a bit more than 20 years since active duty and a buddy said .. ."reserves are looking for corpsmen ... you should look into it". Well for one thing .. am OLD ... was NOT corps school trained but on a lark .. why the hell not. So took a trip to rescen and applied.

Less than two weeks later got a call from the recruiter and he said ... " I can't believe how quick they responded .. said you can enlist ... bring paperwork for school and get back down here" !

I had completed a 2 year program at local college in emergency care -- pre hospital and was working as a paramedic for local fire dept. ... Gathered everything up ... took paperwork to rescen and raised my hand.

Things were going great .. was working on quals etc. to an E5 became permanent ... went to the various weekends and summer drills .. even went to Pendleton for Fleet Hospital work ... no problems what so ever.

Then during the build up pre Shield / Storm my NEC was approved and I became an 8405 .. Paramedic. Only in reserves but I had the paperwork and it was duly noted.

Got a call from a Capt in Indianapolis and she said a couple slots were open and I fit one for sure ... did I know anyone else that could be slotted. Naval Hospital Patuxent River needed backfill as their people were being pulled to Marine units etc.

Myself and W. J Roberts both reported to NavHosp PaxRiver ....

First thing the XO brought up in our check in was ... "why do we have paramedics" he ended up tasking us with developing an ops manual base ambulance operations. That went well and both of us were awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

But the best part of this whole adventure was the need to transport a patient (dependant spouse) to Bethesda ... the iv and drugs involved precluded a land transport because of time needed. The local MD State Trooper helicopter from PaxRiver just happened to be on an extreme auto accident and was not available.

Capt Senn the MD in charge of the hospital called search and rescue ... they said can't do it .. no doc no medic ... Capt Senn said .. "get the bird ready the patient is on the way with a DOC and a MEDIC"

There is NO direct flight from PaxRiver to Bethesda over DC ... you fly up the Potomac low flight .. rise up and over the bridges .. it is like a fun smooth roller coaster and the dependent was smiling etc ... BUT .. as we passed over bridge #7 the bird rose and laid heavy to the right ... at this point the dependent could see the dirty brown Potomac and her eyes went HUGE ... she was fightened ... and as we cleared the pad on the gurney to the hospital she screamed ..

" YOU TRIED TO KILL ME ... WILL NEVER TRUST YOU AGAIN"

The Command Master Chief at Bethesda was HMCM Tomczak .... if anyone has contact with him ... tell him am thinking of him

- Jerry S.